Autumn Apple.

Don't these Autumn Apple Doughnuts look amazing?  I think that they are what we all need to rev up the old engine on a Monday. In fact, if some student was walking around campus eating one, I'd try to snatch it out of their hands and run away with it.  Away being, of course, to the nearest coffee shop so that I could finish it off with a latte... These are the weird scenarios I find myself fantasizing about on Mondays.  Why is it they always arrive so quickly?

{recipe + photos via 3191 Miles Apart}

Autumn Apple Doughnuts
adapted from this NY Times recipe 


Ingredients
1-1/2 C all purpose flour + 1/2 C more for dusting 
1 C spelt flour 
1 t nutmeg 
1 t cinnamon 
1 t baking powder 
1/2 t baking soda 
pinch of salt 
1/2 C brown sugar 
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled 
1/4 C buttermilk 
1/4 C apple cider 
1 C unsweetened applesauce 
1 egg 
safflower oil for frying 


Methodology
Buttermilk, cider, applesauce and egg should be room temperature so set those out a few hours before you want to make your dough. 
When ready, take all dry ingredients, except sugar, and mix them together in a bowl; set that aside. In another bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter, buttermilk and cider. Add egg and applesauce and mix. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix with as few strokes as possible. 
Generously flour a work surface and work with one small chunk of dough (about 1/5) at a time. Flour both sides of the dough and gently pat it out to about 1/2 inch thick. The dough will be sticky; use your flour to help you along. With a floured doughnut cutter cut out doughnuts as close to each other as you can (you're going to set aside the scraps so be mindful that you want as little waste as possible). Place the doughnuts on parchment paper on cookie sheets and once the sheets are full put them in the refrigerator to chill. Depending on the size of your doughnuts you will get anywhere from a dozen to two dozen doughnuts in total.

Turn on your oil (about 2 inches of oil in a stock pot or cast iron skillet is what you're looking for) and gently bring it to 360–375º. If anything the temperature should be lower rather than higher. Take your time to get the oil to the correct temperature and once it's there you can proceed. Take note: the oil temperature will drop between batches so you will want to take time to bring it back up every now and again. 


Gently drop the chilled doughnuts into the hot oil a few at a time turning them over and frying them for anywhere from 2–3 minutes. They should brown slowly. When done use a spatula or little mesh strainer to bring them out of the oil and let them drain on paper towels. While hot roll them in a cinnamon and sugar mix or sprinkle with confectioners sugar (I actually eat mine plain). And as ever my recommendation is -- eat them while they are warm!